Bone Anchor with Stabilizing Portion for Orthopedic Stability

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing bone anchors for osteotomy procedures lack secure attachment to bones, leading to instability and obstruction during orthopedic procedures.

Innovation Solution

A bone anchor with a bone fixation portion featuring fixation openings adapted to receive screws and a device attachment portion with attachment openings, connected by a solid stabilizing portion, ensuring secure attachment of orthopedic devices while maintaining a flat profile to minimize obstruction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the bone anchor is designed with a higher profile to provide more attachment surface area, then the attachment stability is improved, but the obstruction to the patient during procedures increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment stabilityVSAvoidobstruction to patient

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The bone anchor utilizes a flat, planar geometry that distributes attachment surface area across two dimensions rather than increasing height in one dimension. The multiple attachment openings are arranged in a pattern that provides stable device attachment while maintaining a low profile that does not obstruct the patient during procedures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Strength

If the fixation openings are enlarged to accommodate larger fixation devices, then the bone fixation strength is improved, but the overall structural integrity of the bone anchor is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebone fixation strengthVSAvoidstructural integrity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The bone anchor features localized reinforcement around each fixation opening, where the thickness or density of the material is increased in the immediate vicinity of the openings. This allows the openings to be sufficiently large for strong bone fixation while the reinforced surrounding areas maintain the overall structural integrity of the bone anchor.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If multiple attachment openings are provided for secure device attachment, then the device attachment reliability is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice attachment reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The bone anchor employs standardized attachment openings that can accommodate various types of attachment devices and configurations. The openings are designed with universal dimensions and geometries that allow the same bone anchor structure to be used with different orthopedic devices, simplifying manufacturing while providing reliable multi-point attachment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS9155576B2Bone anchor, orthopaedic device and orthopaedic system

Publication Date: 2015.10.13 STRYKER EUROPEAN OPERATIONS HOLDINGS LLC

AI summary

A bone anchor, orthopaedic device and orthopaedic system are described. A bone anchor for use in an orthopaedic procedure which comprises a bone fixation portion provided with a plurality of fixation openings, the fixation openings each being adapted to receive a fixation device for fixing the bone fixation portion to a bone of a patient, and a device attachment portion provided with a first attachment opening and a second attachment opening, the first attachment opening and the second attachment opening being connected to each other by a solid stabilizing portion and being adapted to receive an attachment device for attaching the device attachment portion to an orthopaedic device.